Acts 3:1-11

Illustrations

scars

Bed to bed in a hotel room

nose surgery

chunk out of my shin

V 1-2

The early church has officially started its work. It is functioning and it is growing

Peter and John are still engaged with certain Jewish customs such as going to the temple to pray, but it wasn’t necessarily to keep Jewish customs

Some say it was for evangelism and to show those in the temple the good news of Christ

Some say it is because pray is a communion with God where as the time of sacrifice would have been fully restored in Christ

Man who was lame would sit outside the temple gates each day to receive something from alms-giving

Alms= a gift that is given specifically to the poor and to beggars

There is some element of daily seeing this man. He wasn’t someone who you would question the legitimacy of his lameness, but rather one who was seen time and time again

This man was a staple at the temple. Daily he would be carried up because he was unable to walk

V 3-7

Peter then commands the beggar to fix his gaze towards him

This would have been a sign that he saw the man not as beneath him, but as his equal

He looked over to Peter and was fully expectant that he would receive money from them

Peter open his mouth and tells the man “I have no money for you but what i have is much better”

Like for a split second was this man disappointed? The best thing he thought anyone could give him was money. That’s all he was asking for

“In the name of Jesus Christ get up and walk”

think for a second about the power that comes from the name of Christ alone

The power of the Holy spirit heals this man’s body completely. His legs and ankles are made strong where they once were not

Application: When you think of the Holy Spirit and the power of the name of Jesus, this is the things that come to mind. It is a reminder that the Lord can do things that our small minds can't even comprehend. The miracles he’s worked are not merely isolated to this time period alone. He is working miracles far beyond what we can imagine

V 8-11

Notice the response of this lame man

He was overwhelmed with gratitude and joy for what had happened to him. It is clear to see that he was grateful for the work that had been done in his life

His story and how he had been changed serves as a witness to all those who were gathered in the temple

Think of how many people over the years had witnessed this man begging at the side of the temple

Every time someone asks him about who healed him, he now has an open invitation to share about the good news of Jesus